I have a 350 bored out to a 355. The bottom end is stock but redone by a machine shop. I have a pair of 1.94 valve heads and a cam from comp cams. The lift is 480 and the duration is a 280 (the cam was recomended by the machinest).The intake and carb is the edelbock performer 600 combo. Everything on the engine is new including the distributor.

At idel around 7.5 it pulls about 9-10" of vacuum and the timing mark on the harmonic balancer I am guesing is at 25+ just to get it to run smooth. I can get the vacuum up to 15" max if I advance the distributor one tooth. While the engine seems to be running smooth it don't produce any power. I took the valve cover off, pulled the #1 plug and took off the cap. With the rotor pointing twords the number one cyl in the compression stroke with both the valves closed I put everything together and the car dont start unless i really twist the distributor to advace the timing. I have done everything I can think of to get it to run right including changing the vacuum advace, a compression test (150) setting the valves 3 times according to the specs from the cam manufacturer. I know the dots on the timing chain are aligned b/c before I put the new cam and lifters in I had the same problem so I triple checked these things lining up. I NEED SOME HELP!!!!!!!!!!

It seems like you not on TDC when installing the dist. Easy way I use is pull your #1 plug again, put finger over hole. Manually rotate engine (rachet on crank) until you feel pressure trying to push your finger off hole. Then look at timing mark and bring it up to TDC. Pull your cap and see where the rotor is facing. It should be right on #1 wire. If not, pull and reposition dist until it does. Make sure when your checking your timing you have the vac advance disconnected and plugged. Also make sure you have plug wires in proper firing order. Very easy to get 5 & 7 mixed.

Go back to basics...
put finger over #1 plug hole, turn over till feel compression...then carefully with a screwdriver feel the piston and get to TDC

Now set dizzy /rotor to 'stock' postion (this doesnt need to be done but makes things easier) the rotor should face directly to front of the enginge and the vac advance pionts about 45 degs forward to passengers side.

#1 HT lead should be in th front of the dizzy.
Now set /check HT leads in right order to spark plugs.

Now turn the crank to about 10 to 12 deg advanced.
With a plug on #1 lead earthed to body, turn the dizzy with ign on anti clockwise ..the plug will spark...This will set intial to a good ball park advance
Note: Do have vac advance disconnected and blocked of thru all this.

Turn idle speed screw out about 1.5 turns from bottom.
Engine should fire up.
With a blind rivet, flatten the wire end and bend to 90degs ...this makes a screw driver to adjust the seconday butterfly stop, under the plate on the opposite side to the primary idle/throttle linkages.
Now adjust the idle speed with the secondaries to correct speed and adjust mixture screws.
Once the secondaries are set, u will never have to adjust again, use the primary idle adjustment and mixture screws from here on.

It is a good idea to mark/ stamp the balancer out to about 45 degs in 5 deg increaments...measure the diameter of the harmonic balancer in mm s divide by 360, times 5..this gives the distance to mark for each 5 deg mark.

Now rev the engine till the cent doesnt move, turn the dizzy so u have about 32 to 34 degs....this sets your power curve
Ball park should be about 32 degs @ about 3200 to 3400 rpm...u may have to change the dizzy spring weights to get this . likely to be lighter spring (s)

Rest idle/mixture adjustment to good idle.

Are you reading your timing at idle with the vacuum advance connected, or disconnected and plugged?
For the record, the 280 magnum cam that you have in there will not be smooth at low rpms. It sounds as if you have a relatively low compression, basically stock 350 with a big cam, which will not have much low end power. That cam will start coming on hard above 2500 rpms. Its not a bad cam at all...just doesn't sound like it is what you was looking for.
Personally, for a street performance engine on pump gas, I like to see around 180psi cranking compression.
How about more specifics, like compression, exhaust system, tranny/convertor, gearing, and intended useage?

I gree on the post above re cam choice, bit "over cammed" for general street use...but hey , most ppl do that 1st time round
Should give a loppy idle around 800 to 950 rpm @ 9 to 10" vac dropping to about 600 in gear @ 5 to 7" vac
Will still chirp tyres nps...
but something with lower power range will chirp them better, and give better milage...
Cams is not the issue thu, unless u expect a nice smooth idle.
This can be improved with the vac advance coming in at idle vacuum, giving more advance.
On the other hand I prefer (personal opinion) to have vac advance come in at cruise and just off cruise, then when full or near full power is supplied one is on the centrifical advance maxed out without any detonation.

This is all fine tuning after u get the basics done

The cam is what was recomended by the guy who did my engine. I told him the plans that i had for it like a 6-speed, bigger heads i just got the rearend done its a 3.73 posi. I understand about the idel not being smooth, but the engine dont want to perform. I cant get it to spin the tires.

I do have the vacuum advance pulled off everytime that I do attemt to time it. It is an auto 350 tranni, i have headers going into 3 ft long exhust with an h pipe and glass pack mufflers. For the compression Im not to positive but i would guess 9:1

I have checked that the distributer is in the right spot numurous times and have advanced and retarted it a tooth just to see if it would make a difference. In park the engine sounds healthy and hits the rpms, but in gear its gutless.

Up your static CR or close your intake valve sooner abdc.Advancing your cam 4 degrees will help grab some cyl pressure.If so..it is just a bandaid.The engine combo wants an earlier IVC point.Pick up 30 psi cranking compression and the low speed torque you desire will return and not be so high that you can not run pump gas swill.

Whats the IVC point?

The thing is, the engine ran like this when I had a smaller cam in there and went to adjust the valves and noticed the lifters were bad b/c the rockers would float down w/o turning the engine over. So i figured while i have to replace the lifters i'll get anouther cam. I thought that the lifters being bad is what was causing the engine to not work but it still has the same symtoms as before.